Green Data Center Throws Open Doors In Oregon

A new 30,000 square foot data center has just been launched in Bend, Oregon and the facility is about as green as any data center could get. Bendbroadband announced the launch of the “Vault” last month and disclosed some details about the center’s design and green features.

Bendbroadband says the center offers colocation, disaster recovery and cloud computing services to small and medium-sized businesses as well as enterprise-class companies and employs a group of IT professionals that will staff the center 24//365. In addition to physical-server colocation, BendBroadband has partnered with Logicalis to offer a suite of managed services.

image via Bendbroadband

Bendbroadband points out that the Bend, Oregon region provides a number of natural benefits, some of which support the building’s green design. The area is known to be tectonically stable, so risk of damage from earthquakes is very low. The Bend area’s average 300 days of sunny weather allow for the use of a solar power generation system and the region’s consistently cool climate allows the building to be cooled efficiently without much help from auxillary air-conditioning units.

The solar power system installed at the Vault reportedly has a generating capacity of around 152 kilowatts. Real time statistics on the electricity generated by the system is available at an on-line dashboard here. During any instances when solar power can’t be used, Bendbroadband says it is contracted to purchase 100% of its utility-provided power from Pacific Power and Light’s “Blue Sky” renewable energy program.